Shatter

By Leashea

Essarae was positive this was a bad idea. Something about this whole ordeal felt… off. How would this even go? She tried to think of every outcome, every move these pieces could make. She knew that Primarch Trikon would be upset with her if she backed out. She could lose her position in the Accord, something she worked very hard for. Sighing and looking up from her workstation, it was littered with various gadgets and items she had collected throughout her life. Over there, a rifle she has been working on for another member of the Accord. Across the room, small modrons played with interconnecting gears. They seemed to be building a clock. Looking back down at her current project, she finished the final step of the phylactery with a click. Admittedly, it didn’t look special or spectacularly impressive. It was made of a stone that resembles opal; opaque in places, and clear in others. Set in a necklace made of black gold, Essarae guessed it would be spectacular to the common folk. Large, shiny, and somehow, weightless. This was not a gift for the common folk.

This was a ‘gift’ for Melusine, the Ocean Sovereign. Similar in nature to the one Essarae wore, which was the beta run of the gem at the center of the phylactery. All of the other Accord members have the alpha version. The necklace around her neck was for emergencies. The one in her hand was for something a little different. It was meant to store the ‘Divinity’ of a Sovereign.

As far as Essarae was familiar, history books spoke of the Sovereigns and their power but not how to obtain it. There were four Sovereigns for seasons, four for the elements, and three celestial. Melusine was the Sovereign who represented the water element. Each one of the Sovereigns were a powerful force. Melusine tended to exist in isolation compared to Sovereigns such as Tokal, the Sun Sovereign.

Pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes, exhaling, and then stretching, she rose from her chair. She had been working on this phylactery for 3 days now, as Primarch Trikon requested of her. She was exhausted, the gems took a while to make and she’s barely gotten enough sleep as it is. As she made her way into the halls of the Citadel and after a few minutes of wandering, she found herself in the Entry Hall.

Looking around, she daydreamed about what having a life like the citizens who were milling about would look like. What would it be like for her, if she hadn’t become part of the Accord? Pondering this, she took a good look at the people around her. Catching her attention was a mother and her child. She could see they’re from the lower city and that this must have been a day trip for them. The child watched the holograms in awe. The mother, on the other hand, looked stressed and overwhelmed. She was holding onto her child’s hand for dear life. As the mother made eye contact with Essarae, Essarae put on her friendliest smile, waved and made her way over.

“Are you both having a good day?” Essarae began, “You seem a little lost.” As she approached, the child- a little girl- looked up at Essarae with shock.

‘Ah,” the mother smiled and looked down at her child. Following her gaze, Essarae could see that she was pregnant. “It’s just a little much, all the people.” she said, laughing nervously.

“Well, how about we get you off of those feet and we can-”

“Are you Essarae Stellilar?” the girl blurted out, looking at Essarae expectantly.

“Why, yes I am, and who might you be?” Essarae asked, crouching down to speak face to face with her.

The little girl’s face turned bright red. “I’m Ashella.” she finally stated. “I’m going to be the next High Artificer. Just like you are.” As she finished speaking she seemed more confident than before she began and something tugged at Essarae. She felt a wave of guilt, anxiety and uncertainty inside of her. She sent a silent prayer to Luhliah, the Star Sovereign. Maybe she felt this way because of the whole ordeal of today. Maybe, she just wanted it to be over with.

“Well, Ashella, I’m sure you’ll make a fine High Artificer.” Smiling at the girl, she handed her a clockwork mouse from her pocket.

“Here, take this.” Essarae whispered encouragingly.

Upon seeing what it was, the little girl squealed and took it from her. The mother of the young girl mouthed a thank you to Essarae as Essarae snapped her fingers. An attendant appeared beside her.

“Take these two somewhere quieter, and give Ashella here an artificer’s kit. She will be attending the academy I studied at, here in Anchorra. Free of charge.” She closed her eyes and turned on her heel, quickly making an exit. She didn’t stick around for their reactions. Essarae felt nauseous. She wasn’t entirely sure what was wrong with her. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter. She had a party to get ready for.

When Essarae reached her chambers after stopping by her workshop to grab the gift, she almost walked into Xora. Xora had been exiting her chambers. Xora’s chambers were just before Essarae’s. She probably has been getting ready for hours, Essarae thought.

“Oh! Essaaaaa, daaaaarlinggg.” Xora cooed at her. “You’re covered in oil. I do hope you don’t intend to go to the party looking like that, do you?” She pouted.

“Hello Xora, you look as radiant as ever. No, I don’t plan on going looking like this. In fact, I was just about to go take a bath. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She hurriedly stepped to the side of the hallway and made her way around Xora. As she got ready, she thought about tonight, what it entails. She also thought about the events that lead to this party.

“There’s twelve.” Essarae frowned, counting the orbs floating around the tree again. “That can’t be right.There’s only eleven Sovereigns.”

“It seems there are twelve, indeed. Just as I suspec-” before Primarch Trikon could finish the thought, a wordless voice entered the heads of the Accord members gathered around the orbs. Even wordless, the voice rang clearly in their heads. A series of pictures, signals, smells, sigils, thoughts, sensations and absolutely nothing at all passed through their heads. It was gone as quickly as it came. The stunned silence of the Accord’s seven members hung in the air. It was so constricting, you could almost feel it. Essarae attempted to collect her thoughts before she heard Primarch Trikon speak. This felt wrong.

“Nihil.” Primarch Trikon said, perplexed. “Nihil, a Sovereign of mortals, locked away by the Stars.” Essarae glowered at him. A warning to watch his tongue. Essarae’s deity would never lock another Sovereign out of existence for no reason. Even if she did, Primarch Trikon would not disrespect the Star Sovereign in front of her. The other members of the Accord were nodding. “He wants us to find a way to free him. He wants us to return his Sovereignty to him.”

Xora took that moment to speak. “What if we take one from an existing Sovereign? As he suggested. Maybe a newer, lesser Sovereign. The Ocean Sovereign is quite new.”

Primarch Trikon smiled at this. “Yes.” Turning to meet Essarae’s eyes, Primarch Trikon’s smile widened.

“Essa, you’ve been working on some.. Interesting things, yes?”

Essarae met his stare. She had been. They weren’t ready and were meant to capture and hold souls, not steal Sovereignty. Her stomach flipped. Nihil, this Sovereign of Mortals, promised them power. Knowledge. Regardless of what she thought, or felt, she couldn’t shake the dread creeping up her spine. Was it even possible? Would it work? It technically should be possible. She would have to adjust. Improve the crystals, make them stronger.

“It’s possible I could make it work. I would need some time.” Essarae stated matter-of-factly, looking at the blueprints in her mind’s eye, changing things around on them.

“Excellent!” Primarch Trikon exclaimed with a clap. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends, esteemed members of the Accord, it looks as if we have a party to plan!” Essarae did not miss the way he looked. Unhinged, and wild. It set alarms off in her head, but she was too focused to care. She had work to do. She needed to start immediately.

Reeling from the sleep deprivation, and the extreme focus she was doing, Essarae met her eyes in the looking glass of her vanity. That memory had a bittersweet taste to it. Funny how she felt similar then as she does now. She uttered a small prayer to Luhliah that things work out tonight. Stars be willing, everything will be okay.

Now, throughout the last several months, Primarch Trikon has been giving her instructions from Nihil. She refused to enter the hall where the Tree of Nemos resided, along with the twelve orbs that symbolized the Sovereigns of the world. Nihil did aid her in completing the gemstones. Her eyes traveled to the necklace she wore. Every member of the Accord has one just like it. Theirs were the first round of testing. Hers was the second round. Hers was more powerful, she guessed, since it was the closest thing to the perfected gemstone she had sitting on her vanity.

The bell towers all over the city began to ring. It was time. Rising from her vanity, she exited her chambers and headed to the banquet hall, necklace in hand. Primarch Trikon smiled at her as she entered the room. Hand outstretched, he stood in the middle of the hubbub. Approaching him, she handed over the necklace.

“Oh, Essa. It’s perfect. Fantastic, just as I imagined it. I trust Nihil’s last instruction made sense, yes?” Before hearing her response, he simply turned and walked away. “It seems to have, indeed.”

Watching the rest of the set up felt like a blur to Essarae. It was a mixture of Xora telling people what to do, where to go and what to wear.

Before she could shake out of her stupor, the guests arrived. These were randomly selected citizens of Anchorra, here for the festivities. This was a feast, sure. That’s what the Accord told everyone invited. Well, that’s what Xora told them. They were meant to be diplomatic envoys representing the citizens of Anchorra. Most of them were here to witness a Sovereign in the flesh. If all went the way it should, this would be a momentous occasion. Essarae took her place beside the announcer. She hated this part of feasts, parties and other pleasantries.

“Essarae Stellilar, High Artificer of Anchorra.” The announcer bellowed over the crowd, using a spell to maximize his voice. They clapped, she entered, she took her place at the head table, the announcer called out each of the other members. She tuned most of it out, focusing on another small clockwork mouse, that is, until the announcer said “Announcing, The Mistress of the Abyss, Ocean Sovereign, Melusine. Accompanying her is the Maiden of the Night Sky, Moon Sovereign, Luciadh.”

Essarae froze. Two Sovereigns? No. There was only supposed to be one, just Melusine.

Essarae snapped back to the present when the guests started clapping. She sighed and clapped with the other guests, as the servants set another place for Luciadh beside her. I hope this turns out alright. Stars, please be alright. She thought, projecting that her small prayer made it to the Sovereign she chose as a young girl. The Sovereigns took their respective places at the head table. If Essarae wasn’t feeling sick before, she sure was now. Primarch Trikon tried his best not to look as shocked as the rest of the Accord, Essarae included. It wasn’t working in his favor.

As Melusine sat, Primarch Trikon chimed up from his place at the table.

“Ah, your Sovereignties, I was not expecting the both sisters. What a welcome surprise!”

“When I told Luciadh that you were doing this to aid the citizens of your city, she just had to be here.” Melusine said, smiling. Her pointy teeth made it look as though she was snarling. “She loves mortals, you see.”

The moment was coming, but for now, everything ran smoothly. The food was good, the music was great and the drink was even better. Xora really outdid herself this time. As Essarae finished her wine glass, the bell towers rang out again.

“Esteemed guests of the Accord, we would like to take the time to thank all of you for being here. We know why you’re here, and we’ll get to that part in just a minute,” Primarch Trikon turned to Melusine.

“The rest of the Accord and I would like to present the Ocean Sovereign with a gift. Unfortunately, we will have to get a rain check on the next banquet for our dear Moon Sovereign. Gift please.” He clapped, and a servant rushed forward with the necklace on a pillow. Primarch Trikon gestured to Melusine, and she nodded. “Our very own Essa created this one of a kind gemstone, just for you.”

As the necklace closed around her neck, a darkness came over the hall. Simultaneously, a loud yet unheard laughter rang through the hall and Melusine slumped in her chair. Luciadh cried out for her sister and Melusine began floating high above them, the necklace glowing softly. Essarae jumped from her chair as a rift began to form and hands gripped each side. A woman’s scream broke through the air. Primarch Trikon stood in front of the head table.

“Lord Nihil, what is your bidding?” He exclaimed.

A voice, a real one, came from the rift.

“I am ENAIMON.”

As the voice finished, there was silence. Every single guest and servant lay lifelessly on the floor. The only ones still standing were the members of the Accord and Luciadh.

Everything clicked into place in Essarae’s head when Primarch Trikon stepped forward, arms outstretched. The Pride on his face was clear. This was Nihil. The feeling of hatred coming from the rift was so tangible, she could taste it. This was not supposed to happen. He wasn’t there to help them.

“What have you done?” Luciadh yelled, looking at each member of the accord. “What have you done!?” She was looking directly at Essarae. Essarae’s mind was not here. It was going over the plan, step by step. This was not what was to happen. Essarae’s hand gripped the crystal on her neck.

“I- I don’t know. What is- who is- I-’‘, Essarae stammered. Luciadh swiftly stepped forward and slapped Essarae’s face.

“How do we stop this?” Luciadh said, exasperated. “Quickly!”

Essarae was panicking. The gemstone she was holding began to glow, just like the one Melusine had. She wasn’t sure what to do. Instead of running from this like she wanted to, she closed her eyes and began to pray. She prayed to Luhliah, the Stars. Luhliah sealed this evil away once, she could do it again. She begged Luhliah for her forgiveness. Vowing to her that someday, she would fix this. Xora was using a shield spell to hold back the hands. Luciadh was ordering the others to blast the hands with magic. Every single one held their gemstone. They had maybe fifteen minutes to stop this.

“Luciadh! Luciadh, we need Luhliah. She’s the only one who can stop this.” The hall around her was crumbling. Strong winds that came from seemingly nowhere tore at the tiles and sent tables flying. Luciadh couldn’t hear her. Luciadh was attempting to reach her sister. Essarae took to praying out loud. She would seal this evil if it was the last thing she does. Looking over at Primarch Trikon, who was also holding onto his gemstone, he was smiling up at the hands. Was he insane?

“Lord Nihil, I have done as you asked of me. I convinced your enemy’s most devout follower to create the gemstone, as you asked. It was created to your specifications. Is this what you wanted? I gave you the Sovereign you asked for. Give me her power like you promised!”

Essarae froze again. He promised her knowledge. How naive of her to think that he was doing this to improve life for the citizens of the city that was now crumbling outside. She saw Primarch Trikon for who he really was. Prideful and selfish. He wanted to become a Sovereign. Foolish. Nihil didn’t care for the Sovereign. No, he was planning to destroy everything.

“Please, Luhliah.” Essarae whispered.

As she said that, a bright light entered the hall. It looked like a shooting star. It hit the gemstone around Melusine’s neck just as Luciadh reached her. A shard of the gemstone gashed Luciadh’s face.

Ten minutes.

They were losing time. Looking up at the rift, Essarae noticed that Luciadh reached her sister. The Ocean Sovereign’s eyes opened, and then she and her sister vanished. Good, at least on her dying day, Essarae managed to not kill a god.

Eight Minutes.

One by one, the members of the Accord dropped to the floor after a brief flash and part of their souls hit the magical tendrils on the sides of the rift. Essarae watched her friends’ lifeless bodies disappear and with them, their gemstones. Luhliah was taking them to safety for giving their lives to stop this. This was all her fault.

Five minutes.

Primarch Trikon, no. The embodiment of Pride, was still standing there. This was her chance. Before she could reach him, however, he collapsed. The transfer was complete. She could hear the rush of air as Anchorra was falling. A void appeared to absorb Pride and his gemstone.

Three minutes.

A figure encased in a radiant glow appeared from a shooting star before her. Essarae figured she’d never make it.

Two minutes.

The figure smiled down at Essarae. A beautiful yet haunting presence. Essarae’s vision began to darken.

1 minute. Essarae was out of time.

“Luhliah…” She could feel her soul slipping into the gemstone. She was weak. “Luhliah. I give my life to aid you in sealing this entity from this realm. Allow me to fix this, please. Someday I will.”

“Shhh, Starborn. Rest.” Luhliah murmured. Essarae could feel herself slipping in and out of consciousness. “When I need your soul, I will call upon your promises. I will deal with him for now.” Luhliah stated with a defiant look towards the rift.

All Essarae could hear was the screaming and terror of the citizens of her city. The city she was supposed to protect. In her last few moments, she thought of Ashella. The little girl would never grow up, never reach her full potential. Essarae reached out for the figure with her other hand. She was reaching for past Luhliah, to the city outside. Everything began to blur.

“I’m sorry.”

As Essarae’s lifeforce extinguished, the form of Luhliah burst into stardust. It was the most beautiful thing Essarae had ever seen.

Then, all she saw was darkness.

About The Author

I am a member of the Aseniwuche Winewak Nation of Canada, and I live in a small town in the Rocky Mountains in Alberta Canada. I love nature and all things green, but my real passion is my fantasy works.

Every feature is an act of recognition—of craft, of courage, of the quiet magic that happens when words are made with care. Stay a while. The kettle is on.

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